Uniformly positioned seals for regenerative heaters



A. JENSEN Aug. 19, 1952 UNIFORMLY POS ITIONED SEALS FOR REGENERATIVE HEATERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 00f. 11, 1949 Ill ,lllmllilllllllflllll A. JENSE-N I 2,607,565

Aug. 19, 1952 UNIFORMLY POSITIONED SEALS FOR REGENERATIYE HEATERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001,-. 11, 1949 M N5 p Z 0 Wu m w n 4 umlmm Aug. 19, 1952 I AJENsEN 2,607,565

UNIFORMLY POSITIONED' SEALS FOR REGENERATIVE HEATERS Filed Oct. 11, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 {a g 9 a 51/ I E l// A V INVEN TOR. 4 7 /ensen ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 19 52 UNIFORMLY POSITIONED SEALS FOR REGENERATIVE HEATERS Arthur Jensen, Wellsville, N. Y., assignor to The Air Preheater Corporation, New York, N. Y.

'Application October 11, 1949, Serial No. 120,628

1 ,I'he present invention relates particularly to improved circumferential seals for use between the rotor and enclosing housing of a rotary regenerative air preheater or like apparatus. v

A rotary regenerative heater of the Ljungstrom type has a cylindrical rotor divided into compartments carrying metallic heat transfer plates which as the rotor turns are first exposed to the heating gases and then disposed in the air pass-age to impart the absorbed heat to the air.- The rotor is surrounded by a housing having end or sector plates formedwith openings to provide for the flow of gas and air and in order to preclude the flow of gas or air through the clearance space between the rotor and housing without passing over the heat transfer material it is customary to provide the rotor with circumferential seals that bear against the sector plates or other stationary parts. Radial seals mounted I on the partitions forming the compartments whose width is less than the gas and air openings prevent crossflow of fluids over the ends of the rotor.

The present invention contemplates improved forms of circumferential and radial seals in which advantage is taken of the fact that the end sector plates are held in spaced parallel relation by the housing enclosing the rotor. Assuming that these parallel surfaces are maintained within reasonable allowances over a complete circumference at any point from the center of unit, the circumferential seals carried on the perimeter of the rotor shell and on the rotor post at opposite ends of the rotor are biased apart and toward contact with these parallel surfaces to provide the circumferential seal. The radial seals are similarly biased for movement endwise of the partitions.

The invention will be best understood upon consideration of the following description of illustrative embodiments thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a sectional elevational view in diagrammatic form of a rotor regenerative air preheater.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view sectioned on line 2-2 of Fig. 4 drawn on an enlarged scale to show circumferential and radial sealing devices embodying the present invention.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view on line 3-3 of Fig. 4 showing the mounting of one of the radial seals.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view corresponding to the previous figures.

3 Claims. ((31.257-6) 2 Figure 5 is a view on an enlarged scale similar to Figure 2 showing alternative constructionsfor the seals while Figure 6 is a corresponding plan view; v

Figure '7 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing the construction of a circumferential seal provided adjacent the ends of'therotor post; and I Figure 8 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale illustrating a pivotal connection between radial and circumferential seals as indicated by section line 8- 8 ofFig. 6. 1

'In the drawings the'numeral l0 designates the cylindrical shell of a rotor that is divided into sector shaped compartments by radial partitions H connecting it with the rotor post l2 which is driven by a motor and reduction gearing I3 to turn the rotor slowly about its axis. The' rotor compartments contain regenerative heat trans fer material in the form of metallic plates l4 which first absorb heat from hot gasesentering the preheater through a duct 15 from a' boiler or other source to be discharged after passing over the heat transfer plates M through an outlet duct l6 to which an induced draftfan-(not shown) is connected. As the rotor turns slowly about its axis, the-heated platesld are moved into the stream of air admitted through the duct H to which a forced draft fan (not shown) "is connected. After passing over the plate [4 and absorbing heat therefrom the stream of air is conveyed to the boilerfurnace, or other place of use through duct 18. A housing '20 enclosing the rotor ID is provided at eitherendopposite the latter with end or sector plates 2I' which are apertured at 22 and 23 to permit streams of gas and air to enter and leave the preheater.

In order that the streams of gas and air may not by-pass the heat transfer surface M by flowing in the annular clearance space 24 between the rotor shell Ill and the housing 20 it is customary to provide circumferential seals on the shell In which wipe against the sector plates 2| or allied parts so as to seal off the space 2-4 at both ends of the rotor, these being diagrammatically shown at 25in Fig.1. v a

In accordance with the present inventionthe circumferential seals shown on an enlarged scale in Figs. 2 to 4 comprise a plurality ofsegmental sealing shoes 26 slidably mounted for movement toward and away from the sector plate 2| in a groove 2'! formed between the annular bands or plates 28, 29 attached to the end edge of the rotor shell I0 and extending completely around its perimeter. As appears in Fig. 4 the sealing shoes 31 on the outside of the rotor shell Hi: At--its'-- lower end the rod 33 is fixed as byapin 33ito:

the lug 34 on the sealing segment 26. Whilethe upper end of the rod extends through the lug 35 on the upper shoe 26 and is resiliently'connected thereto by means of-"the 'coiljsprings- 35 and the cooperating nuts 31, 38 threaded on .the.

rod and bearing respectively against the upper side of lug 35 and the-lower end of spring 35. 'Other t'ension springs'tfl and ll are provided on the rod tit-andactto bias towards the seal shoes 26 -atlthe'top and bottom of the rotor, respectively, apart in opposite axial directions so as to tend to maintaincontact with the imperforate portions of-the endplat'es-Zl. I

Theoperation of the seals 261s based on the assumption, as mentioned above, that: the parallel' surfaces constituted by the inner faces of the-end plates 2| that confront the rotor'are maintained uniformly spaced within reasonable allowances throughout a complete circumference at varlousidistances from thecenter of the rotor.

The parallel surfacesprovided by the connecting plates-are spacedintheir parallel relation by the rotor housing. The dimension A, Fig. 2 constituting the height of therotor housing should remain: fairly constant throughout the. circumferencexati the position of the circumferential SeaLshOes-ZG. To avoidexcess frictional .drag

, thee-dimension B between the outer faces of the circumferential seals at theouterends of .the rotormay be set slightly lessthan dimension A. The seals-26- and the rotor-Illcan'change their relationship to each other when contact is made witheithertopvor bottom end plate by comprese sion-ofthe springs-40 or M. Beyond providing resilient connections of Y theupper seals the springs 38 operate only if binding occurs through changesin the dimensions A or B. When adjusting theseals 26 for vertically mounted rotors the loadofthe complete seal assembly 133 carried on the springs 41 and only slight tension" is required on the spring 40 and the spring 35 acts vonly-if-binding occurs on both connecting end plates simultaneously. Adjustment of the circumferential seals 26 either upon installation-of the preheater or duringthe operation may be made through access doors 48.

trated in these figures also utilizes circumferential sealing shoes 53 mounted adjacent the upper and lower ends of the rotor posts in positions radially inward beyond the air and gas apertures 22, 23 in the end plates 2|. These could also be provided in Figs. 1 to 4. A further difference here is that instead of being provided with their [own tension rods, such as 5| in Fig. '2,"the radial seal shoes 54 in-Figs. 5 to Bare connected by the bolts 55' to lugs 56 and 51 on the circumferential seals 26 and 53, respectively, so that the circumferential and radial seals may operate in unison-these circumferential seals being located radially beyond the inner and outer margins of the gas andair apertures in the end plates 21.

In operation it' is not necessary for the radial .or circumferential seals to continuously wipe against the imperforate portions of the end plates. Satisfactory operation is provided even though there may be a slight space C resulting from differencesfrom the dimensions. A and B. This arrangementis provided obviously to avoid excess frictional dragin the operationjof the rotor and satisfactory sealing. is ,afforded providing'the gap C between: the .seals and the end plate is not of a substantial dimension. 1

What I claim is: I Y

1. In apparatus having a rotorincluding a foylindrical shell connected to .a rotorpost by. radial partitions-andcasing plates oppositetheends of the rotor formed'with circumferentiallyspaced apertures for-flow of separate.fluidsjfimproved gas seals engaging said, end plates comprising, circumferentially extending sealing. shoes mounted onthe end edgesof the rotor shell.,and,in ra: dially spaced relation thereto on they rotorpost in positions radially beyond the marginsv of? the apertures in said end plates; radialseals. carried by said partitions and pivotallyconnected at their radial ends to the sealingringsboth on the rotor shell and adjacent the rotor post for movement therewith; and spring influencemmeans resiliently connecting corresponding seal shoes at opposite ends of the rotor andurging them apart into yielding contact with the end plate adjacent thereto. I

2. Circumferential sealing devices asrecited in claim 1 wherein said spring-influenced means.in,- clude rods fixedly each connected to a sealing shoe at one end of the rotor and yieldingly conjnectedto a correspondingly located shoe atthe other end of the rotor; and rod guides. attached to therotor shell.

,3. Circumferential sealing devices as recited in claim 1 wherein said spring-influenced means include rods fixedly each connected to a sealing 7 shoe at one end of the rotor and yieldingly' connected to a correspondingly locatedshoe at. the other end of the rotor; and rod guides attached to the outer faces ofthe rotor shell.

- AR'I'HUR JENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,460,746 Guthrie et a1 Feb; 1, 1949 2,471,995 Yerrick et al. May 3, 1949 Erisman Aug. 1; 1950 

